Flexible cane foot

ABSTRACT

An ambulatory support and traction device used as a flexible foot ( 1 ) added to a walking aid, such as a cane or crutch ( 6 ), is provided. The flexible foot ( 1 ) includes a bendable coil or spring ( 3 ) that allows angulation of a walking aid shaft ( 4 ) relative to the foot ( 1 ) without the loss of adherence of the foot to a ground surface ( 19 ). The allowance of angulation of the walking aid shaft ( 4 ) improves ambulatory support and balance when leaning on the walking aid or when traversing an inclined surface and can assist the user in rising from a sitting position to a standing position without repositioning of the foot. The flexible foot ( 1 ) has a rigid base ( 2 ) for structural support and a traction sole ( 17 ) to adhere to surfaces both indoors and outdoors and on different surfaces and environments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an accessory for walking aids such as acane or a crutch whereby the accessory provides for a stable footing orbase support for the cane or crutch during ambulatory movement of theuser particularly where the cane or crutch is angled relative to aground or supporting surface. More particularly, the accessory is aflexible, spring biased foot which is attached to the end of the walkingaid and is permitted a 360 degree angulation relative to the supportingsurface or ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Walking aids in the form of staffs, canes and crutches are well knownand have been available in many varieties to accommodate a person's needof support and ambulation. Also known are a variety of modifications andaccessories to these aids to ergonomically improve the comfort, safetyand use of such aids by the addition of handles or arm support designsor to provide grip or stability on a ground surface. Common designs toassist in the ambulatory support of a user leaning on the walking aidare to add platforms or multiple legs to the ground engaging end of thewalking aid to give stability to the user.

These designs generally require that the walking aid and the relativeshaft be maintained substantially perpendicular to the ground surface sothat there is full contact of the platform or multiple legs. If there isonly partial or angular contact of the ground engaging end of thewalking aid with the ground surface stability is compromised. Clearlywhere a ground engaging end of a walking aid is not in complete contactwith the ground surface the chances for the walking aid to slide, slipor move without warning is substantially increased possibly causinginjury to the user. Although rubber end caps or tips are often providedat the ground engaging end of such walking aids and may by theirmalleable nature assist in establishing sufficient friction andstability, they not only wear inconsistently due to such use but areonly a partial solution where the base of the walking aid is still notplanarly aligned with the ground surface.

There are numerous impact cushioning devices known in the prior art forexample U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,819. The known impact cushioning devices arehowever, just that, cushioning devices intended to merely verticallyabsorb the impact of the cane or other walking aid on the groundsurface. The '819 patent reference includes a cane having an end, and aspring within a connecting sleeve disposed around the cane end where thespring is connected from between a lower end of the cane to an innercavity of the rubber spring tip. The rubber tip is fitted snugly so asto only slide axially up and down around the collar of the connectingsleeve such that the spring is maintained axially aligned with the caneshaft in a compression and extension function only.

Other designs incorporate pointed tips or grippers to use the walkingaid on uneven or slippery surfaces, but these usually require the userto remove or disengage in some manner the sharpened points when usingthe aid indoors as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,284. Other devices include acomplex combination of various means, expensive to manufacture andproduce and less that positive in their action to provide the intendedbenefits. Such devices formed of a multiplicity of parts are difficultto manufacture, assemble, adjust, maneuver or operate, and are basicallydifficult or impractical to convert from indoor to outdoor use withoutgreat effort and manipulation by the user.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do no disclose an accessory fora walking aid which provides cushioning and reduced impact as well asangulation where the foot or base of the accessory is maintained in aplanar relationship with the supporting ground surface. In this; regardwhere the foot or base of the free end of the walking aid can bemaintained in a parallel planar relationship with the ground supportingsurface, no matter at what angle the walking aid is inclined relative tothe supporting surface, the more traction and stability is imparted tothe walking aid and hence the user.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed towards an easy and economicalsolution to ambulatory support and traction for a walking aid such as acane or a crutch. This disclosure describes a cane foot fabricated froma coil and a substantially planar base where the coil defines a boreinto which is inserted a shaft of a walking aid such as a cane or acrutch. At one end of the coil the base is secured thereto by any meansknown in the art to provide a ground engaging surface. The coil thuspartially surrounds or encompasses a lower end portion of the shaft ofthe walking aid and is frictionally or torsionally secured thereto bythe natural torsion strength of the coil. The base having a planarbottom surface now directly engages the ground engaging surface ratherthan the extreme end of the shaft about which the coil is engaged. Thefoot may be added as a modification to the walking aid after, or duringmanufacturing.

Because the base is connected only to the coil, the coil permits axial,radial and angular flexibility between the base and the vertical axis ofthe shaft of the walking aid. For example on an inclined or unevensurface the user may maintain the shaft of the walking aid in asubstantially vertical i.e. straight up and down alignment, however theangular flexibility of the coil permits the base to planarly match theinclined or uneven surface upon which the foot is resting. Similarly,where the user is on substantially horizontal ground and for some reasonthe walking aid is at a non-perpendicular angle thereto, the coilpermits the base to remain in complete parallel planar contact with thesupporting surface despite the angulation of the shaft with thesupporting surface and the user can readily maintain balance even whenmoving the shaft of the walking aid in angulation while maintainingpressure to the foot that remains in a stable position adhered to thesupporting ground surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a foot for a walkingaid such as a cane or a crutch having increased stability and improvedtraction in various environments and ground surfaces.

It is another object of the invention to manufacture an inexpensivedevice for increasing the traction of a walking aid on an inclinedsurface and which can be retrofitted to almost any known cane or crutch.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an axially,radially and angularly flexible foot moveable relative to the shaft ofthe cane or crutch to which the foot is attached.

It is a still further object of the present invention to form the foothaving a rigid base fabricated of metal or similarly rigid material thatis of an adequate thickness to not deform or deflect under load orpressure; and a friction sole made of rubber or other known non-slipmaterial attached to one side of the base providing friction andtraction between the base and the ground surface.

Another object of the present invention is to attach a coil or spring tothe side of the base opposite the friction sole which facilitatesconnection of the foot directly to an end of the cane or crutch andwhich spring or coil has a spring coefficient which permits relativeangular, axial and radial displacement of the base relative to the caneor crutch.

This flexible foot is an elegant, safe, practical and cost effectivedevice for use as an accessory and improvement to a walking aid such asa cane or a crutch. The flexible foot is capable of integrating withpre-existing walking aid designs and improve ambulatory support andtraction to better accommodate these designs for use in various surfacesand in different environments. The foot may be used indoors or outdoors,on different surfaces without the added nuisance or complexity ofremoval, adjustment or control by the user.

The present invention relates to a walking aid for facilitating movementof a human user comprising a handle for manual articulation andoperation of the walking aid by the user, a shaft extending along alongitudinal axis between the handle and a free end of the shaftgenerally positioned adjacent a supporting ground surface, a flexiblefoot attached to the free end of the shaft, the flexible foot comprisinga spring having a first end and a second end defining a boretherebetween for receiving a portion of the shaft of the walking aidwithin the bore, a substantially planar base having a top surfaceattached to the first end of the spring and a bottom surface having atraction sole affixed thereto, and wherein the shaft is retained inattachment to the flexible foot by torsional force exerted by the springon the received portion of the shaft and the entire planar base isangularly moveable relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

The present invention also relates to a method for facilitating movementof a human user comprising the steps of providing a handle for manualarticulation and operation of the walking aid by the user, forming ashaft extending along a longitudinal axis between the handle and a freeend of the shaft generally positioned adjacent a supporting groundsurface, attaching a flexible foot to the free end of the shaftaccording to the following steps, providing a spring having a first endand a second end defining at bore therebetween for receiving a portionof the shaft of the walking aid within the bore, attaching a top surfaceof a substantially planar base to the first end of the spring andaffixing a traction sole to a bottom surface of the planar base, andinserting a portion of the free end of the shaft into the bore of thespring and retaining the shaft in attachment to the flexible foot bytorsional force exerted by the spring on the inserted portion of theshaft and permitting angular adjustment of the entire planar baserelative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

The above and other objects, advantages and novel features of thisinvention will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible foot that may be added to awalking aid;

FIG. 2 is a top planar view of the flexible foot;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the flexible foot,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the flexible foot in compression;and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the flexibility of the accessorytip when the spring is bent via the cane or crutch and an angle relativeto the supporting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a flexible foot 1 includes, in general, a base 2attached to a flexible cylinder generally formed by a helical coil orspring 3 although other fittings, for example plastic or rubber tubesforming such a flexible cylinder, are contemplated as well. In thisregard and without limitation thereto, for purposes of the descriptionand the drawings, the flexible cylinder will be referred to as a spring3. The spring 3 has a first end 5 and a second end 7 defining a bore 8therebetween into which a shaft 4 of a cane or crutch is inserted. Thespring 3 may be made most efficiently and economically fabricated frommost any applicable stock material, steel being the most practical andeconomical, and the coil or spring stock material may be of any desireddiameter d, cross-section and spring constant depending upon theprescribed load to be asserted on the spring 3.

The bore 8 defines a diameter D, which is also dependent upon the sizeor diameter D′ of the cane or crutch with which the flexible foot 1 isto be used and the bore 8 may be formed by winding or forming the spring3 or coil in a manner as known in the art with the appropriate diameterD so as to accommodate most any conventionally sized cane or crutch.

The base 2 is a generally planar plate or platform and has an outercircumferential edge 110, which may be defined or formed into most anyshape, circular, oval, square, etc. In general, a circular shape ispreferable as it presents no corners and has a constant radius whichlends itself to a consistently applied and predictable contact area witha ground surface to facilitate movement. The base 2 has a planar topsurface 9 to which the first end 5 of the spring 3 is attached,generally by welds in the case of steel, to secure the spring 3 to thebase 2. A bottom surface 11 of the base 2 is provided for directlycontacting the ground or a supporting surface 12 on which the user iswalking. The bottom surface 11 may also have a gripping layer appliedthereto, such as a friction generating rubber layer which may alsoinclude a tread design thereon.

The bore 8 and hence the spring 3 of the flexible foot 1 is definedabout a vertical axis A. The vertical axis; A is defined as vertical incomparison to a horizontal support surface 12 for purposes of describingthe present invention. It is to be appreciated that not all supportsurfaces are horizontal and that the axis A may not always be aligneddirectly vertical in the sense of gravitational pull. In any event, in aneutral and unflexed position, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the axis A isperpendicularly aligned with the planar top surface 9 of the base 2. Asa result, the second end 7 of the spring 3 is spaced a desired distanceL from the top surface 9 of the base 2 so as to accept a desired lengthL′ of the shaft 4 of the cane or crutch as will be described in furtherdetail below. The distance L is in the range of about 1 to 6 inches andmore preferably in the range of 2 to 5 inches.

The second end 7 of the spring 3 inherently defines an opening to thebore 8 of the spring 3 into which the shaft 4 of the cane or crutch 6may be inserted. The desired length L′ of the shaft 4 is frictionally ortorsionally secured within the bore 8 and the inside diameter D of thebore is of adequate dimensions to tightly and securely fit around theoutside diameter D′ of the shaft of the cane or crutch 6. Such an insidediameter D of the spring 3 may be for instance manufactured slightlysmaller than the diameter D′ of the shaft 4 in order to securelyfrictionally and torsionally grip the shaft 4. With this arrangement,using only the natural torsion strength of the coil or spring 3 totightly torsionally grip the shaft, the flexible foot 1 thus cannotsimply slide or too easily come off, but may be removed from the shaft 4of the cane with minimal effort and without extreme difficulty.

It is to be appreciated that the shaft 4 of the cane is generallyinserted only the length L′ and not the entire length L into the bore 8.This leaves a space S between a bottom end 16 of the shalt and the topsurface of the base 2. This spacing S permits the relative angular,radial and axial movement of the base 2 without interference from theshaft. For example, where an axial force is applied along the shaft 4,the base 2 is permitted to move axially relative thereto in a cushioningeffect to the axial force. Also, if the flexible foot 1 is in contactwith the ground and the shaft 4 and the ground are inclined at an angleother than 90 degrees, than the spring 3 permits the bottom surface 11of the base 2 to remain in parallel contact with the ground while theshaft 4 is inclined at the angle other than 90 degrees to the ground.The shaft 4 of the cane or crutch 6 is thus secured to the spring 3, butis not in any way affixed to the base 2 thus permitting the shaft 4 ofthe cane 6 to move axially and angularly relative to the base 2 withoutcompromising adherence of the base 2 to the support or ground surface12.

The shaft 4 of the cane or crutch may even abut the top surface 9 of thebase 2 but, in any event, is not affixed or attached directly thereto.In this case, the bottom end of the shaft 4 can angularly move relativeto the top surface 9 of the base 2 when there is relative angulardisplacement between the base 2 and the shaft 4. In this arrangement,there is little or no axial movement permitted between the base 2 andthe shaft 4 since the shaft 4 abuts the base 2. The coil or spring 3 is,of course, structurally bendable meaning it will deflect with themovement of the shaft 4 in the bore E relative to the base 2 where thebase 2 is frictionally engaged with a supporting surface 12. The spring3 is also rigid enough to reposition the base 2 in a perpendicularmanner relative to the shaft 4 without deformation when the base 2 isreleased from engagement with the supporting surface 12. The coil orspring 3 may also be designed in various lengths L, diameters or shapesto accommodate shafts of different thickness or dimensions. In general,most shafts will have a diameter D in the range of 0.5 of an inch to 3.0inches and more particularly in the range of 1 to 2.0 inches and thusthe range of bore diameters D would be substantially the same or evenhaving a slightly smaller diameter in the range of about 0.4 of an inchto 2.9 inches and more particularly 0.8 to 1.9 inches to provide therequisite torsional gripping force to the shaft. It is also to beappreciated that with this arrangement the flexible foot 1 may beattached and retained on the shaft 4 solely by the torsion force of thespring 3 acting radially around the outside surface and diameter D′ ofthe shaft 4.

In another embodiment, the base 2 is provided with an additionalcomponent attached or adhered to the bottom surface 11 of the base 2. Apliable traction sole 17, having a mating surface, is adhered to thebottom surface 11 of the base 2 and a ground friction surface 19 fordirectly contacting the supporting surface 12, may further increase thesafety and security of the flexible foot 1. Where the base 2 is made ofsteel or a similar metal having a thickness that will not bend orsubstantially deform when the pressure and weight of a user leans withthe assistance of a walking aid on the cane foot, the attached tractionsole 17 is made of a rubber, plastic or other flexible material thatprovides frictional support for the pressure and weight of a userapplied to the flexible foot 1. The traction sole 17 may have a treadpattern 19 to increase traction of the flexible foot 1 to better adhereto different types of support and ground surfaces and to adapt to bothindoor and outdoor environments.

In use, the above described flexible foot 1 provides critical andimportant support to users in awkward and unsafe topographic conditions.For example as seen in FIG. 4, where a user cannot maintain the shaft 4at a perpendicular angle relative to the base 2 and support surface 12,the shaft 4 is angled at some necessary angle T other than 90 degreesrelative to the supporting surface 12. The flexible foot 1 thereforeensures that the entire bottom surface 11 and/or the entire tractionsole surface 18 is engaged with the support surface 12 no matter whatangle the user angles the shaft 4. This provides tremendous security andsupport to the user where they can be sure that the entire base 2 isfully engaged with the support surface 12 and the cane or crutch 6 willnot slip or slide out from any position.

By way of a further example the flexible foot 1 also aids in allowing aperson in a sitting position to rise to a standing position by movingand angling the shaft 4 and axis A relative to the supporting surface 12in any necessary manner without moving or sliding the base 2 relative tothe ground support surface 12. The ability to angle the shaft 4 relativeto the base 2 and the supporting surface permits a user to supportthemselves enough to rise from the seated position while all the timethe ground friction surface of the traction sole 17 is maintained incomplete contact with the supporting surface 12.

Turning to FIG. 5, whether or not the shaft is angled, the spring 3 alsopermits compression of the flexible foot 1 to directly absorb a verticaland/or axial force F applied along the axis A of the shaft. As can beappreciated when the user applies their weight to the shaft 4 the spring3 compresses and so the space S becomes smaller, i.e. compressed to avariable space S′ depending on the magnitude of the force applied to theshaft 4. Thus, the spacing S and/or S′ between the bottom end of theshaft 4 and the top surface 9 of the base 2 allows for such springcompression as well as for angulation of the shaft relative to the base2. Clearly conditions can arise which would necessitate both anangulation as in FIG. 4 together with the compression as shown in FIG.5. It is an important aspect of the present invention to permit bothrelative angulation of the shaft 4 and spring 3 relative to the base 2and the supporting surface 12 as well as corresponding compression basedon axially applied forces F.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described invention,without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention hereininvolved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedmerely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shallnot be construed as limiting the invention.

1. A flexible support (1) for a walking aid comprising: a base (2)having a top surface (9) and a bottom surface (11); a coil (3) having afirst end (5) and a second end (7) defining a bore (8) for receiving ashaft (4) of the walking aid within the bore (8), and wherein the firstend (5) of the coil (3) is attached directly to a top surface of thebase (2) and the second end (7) of the coil (3) is spaced from the base(2) and defines an opening (13) where the shaft (4) of the walking aidis inserted in the bore (8) and the coil (3) with the shaft (4) is freeto move angularly relative to the base (2).
 2. The flexible support (1)for a walking aid as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a neutralposition where a longitudinal axis A of the coil (3) is alignedperpendicular with the bottom surface (11) of the base (2), and a spring(3) biased position wherein the longitudinal axis A of the coil (3) isinclined at an angle relative to the bottom surface (11) of the base (2)and the shaft of the walking aid is retained in attachment to theflexible support solely by torsion force exerted by the coil.
 3. Theflexible support (1) for a walking aid as set forth in claim 2 furthercomprising a traction sole (17) made from a different material than thebase (2) and attached to the bottom surface (11) of the base (2) toprovide for enhanced frictional contact of the flexible support with aground surface (19).
 4. The flexible support (1) for a walking aid asset forth in claim 3 further comprising a tread design formed in thetraction sole (17), the tread design comprising an engagement surface(18) having a plurality of discontinuous planar surfaces to facilitatetraction of the flexible support on various ground surfaces.
 5. Theflexible support (1) for a walking aid as set forth in claim 4, whereinthe spring (3) and the base (2) are fabricated from steel and thetraction sole (17) is fabricated from a pliable material.
 6. A walkingaid for facilitating movement of a human user comprising: a handle formanual articulation and operation of the walking aid by the user; ashaft (4) extending along a longitudinal axis (A) between the handle anda free end of the shaft (4) generally positioned adjacent a supportingground surface (12); a flexible foot (1) attached to the free end of theshaft (4), the flexible foot (1) comprising; a spring (3) having a firstend (5) and a second end (7) defining a bore (8) therebetween forreceiving a portion of the shaft (4) of the walking aid within the bore(8); a substantially planar base (2) having a top surface (9) attachedto the first end (5) of the spring (3) and a bottom surface (11) havinga traction sole (17) affixed thereto, and wherein the shaft (4) isretained in attachment to the flexible foot (1) solely by torsionalforce exerted by the spring (3) on the received portion of the shaft (4)and the entire spring (3) with the shaft (4) is angularly moveablerelative to the surface of the planar base (2).
 7. The walking aid forfacilitating movement of a human user as set forth in claim 6, wherein adiameter (D) of the bore (8) is slightly less than a diameter (D′) ofthe shaft (4) of the walking aid to facilitate attachment and retentionof the flexible foot (1) to the shaft (4).
 8. The walking aid forfacilitating movement of a human user as set forth in claim 7, furthercomprising a neutral position where the longitudinal axis (A) of theshaft (4) is aligned perpendicular with the substantially planar base(2), and a biased position wherein the longitudinal axis (A) of theshaft (4) is inclined at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to theentire substantially planar base (2).
 9. The walking aid forfacilitating movement of a human user as set forth in claim 8, whereinthe traction sole (17) made from a different material than the base (2)and attached to the bottom surface (11) of the base (2) to provide forenhanced frictional contact of the flexible foot (1) with a groundsurface (12).
 10. The walking aid for facilitating movement of a humanuser as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a tread design formedin the traction sole (17), the tread design comprising an engagementsurface (18) having a plurality discontinuous planar surfaces tofacilitate traction of the flexible support (1) on various groundsurfaces.
 11. The walking aid for facilitating movement of a human useras set forth in claim 10, wherein the spring (3) and the base (2) arefabricated from steel and the traction sole (17) is fabricated from apliable rubber material.
 12. A method for facilitating movement of ahuman user comprising the steps of: providing a handle for manualarticulation and operation of the walking aid by the user; forming ashaft (4) extending along a longitudinal axis (A) between the handle anda free end of the shaft (4) generally positioned adjacent a supportingground surface (12); attaching a flexible foot (1) to the free end ofthe shaft (4) according to the following steps; providing a flexiblecylinder (3) having a first end (5) and a second end (7) defining a bore(8) therebetween for receiving a portion of the shaft (4) of the walkingaid within the bore (8); attaching a top surface (9) of a substantiallyplanar base (2) to the first end (5) of the flexible cylinder (3) andaffixing a traction sole (17) to a bottom surface (11) of the planarbase (2); and inserting a portion of the free end of the shaft (4) intothe bore (8) of the flexible cylinder (3) and retaining the shaft (4) inattachment to the flexible foot (1) by torsional force exerted by theflexible cylinder (3) on the inserted portion of the shaft (4) andpermitting angular adjustment of the longitudinal axis (A) of the shaft(4) relative to the entire planar base (2).
 13. The method forfacilitating movement of a human user as set forth in claim 12, furthercomprising the steps of forming a diameter (D) of the bore (8) slightlyless than a diameter (D′) of the shaft (4) of the walking aid tofacilitate attachment and retention of the flexible foot (1) to theshaft (4).
 14. The method for facilitating movement of a human user asset forth in claim 13, further comprising the steps of defining aneutral position where the longitudinal axis (A) of the shaft (4) isaligned perpendicular with the substantially planar base (2), and abiased position wherein the longitudinal axis (A) of the shaft (4) isinclined at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the entiresubstantially planar base (2).
 15. The method for facilitating movementof a human user as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the stepsof fabricating the traction sole (17) from a different material than thesubstantially planar base (2) to provide for enhanced frictional contactof the flexible foot (1) with a ground surface (19).